


The Moonlark's Song

by highfunctioningsarcastic



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluff and Angst, Multi, Tam is acting like an idiot, The Author Regrets Nothing, sophie doesn't know what she's doing with her life, the requisite matchmakers fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27122293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/highfunctioningsarcastic/pseuds/highfunctioningsarcastic
Summary: I have found maybe four Sophie/Tam stories e-v-e-r, so here's a nice long one that I will attempt to finish!THIS IS SOTAM. YOU WERE WARNED.Crossposted to Wattpad, as usual.
Relationships: Dex Dizznee/Biana Vacker, Sophie Foster/Tam Song, Wylie Endal/Linh Song
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

It was dark when Sophie, Grady, and Edaline finally left the Matchmakers. Grady was trying to get through to her, probably to say something reassuring, but she couldn't focus, let alone respond to the comfort. Fitz said he wouldn't consider anyone not on his match lists...what now? Is there anything left to do? The process of confirming that she was Unmatchable had taken hours. Grady had hailed Alden to see if he could overturn the decision, and now it was past dinner. Sophie didn't care. She didn't think she would be hungry for hours, if not forever.

"Sophie?" Edaline brushed a wisp of blond hair away from Sophie's face. "You know you can talk to us about this, right?" Sophie swallowed and nodded. She'd never cared for the elves' system of creating 'perfect' marriages, and for Sophie, this just seemed to confirm that the system was outdated. The system wasn't perfect, but it was just another area of the elvin world that seemed unlikely to ever change. They'd made a lot of progress in the last few months, but still...

"I think I would rather see them tomorrow," Sophie informed her adoptive parents after they had returned to Havenfield. Her friends had been clamoring to get ahold of her since she'd left for the matchmakers', asking questions about packets and answers and whether they would get to see her match lists when they finally arrived. Sophie had ignored all of them. She knew that they would be angry with her tomorrow, but she would deal with that when if came time too. Edaline nodded. Her bodyguards shifted, not uncomfortable with her refusal to see her friends, but uncomfortable because she had been out of their sight nearly all day.

"We'll let them know that you'll reach out to them when you're ready."

"Do you need anything before you go to bed?" Grady asked. Sophie went over the short list of things she would usually ask for, and then shook her head. 

"No, I'm just really tired. Could you also ask...whoever is is in charge of Luna and Wynn how they're doing? I promise I won't stay up, but it would be nice to have good news tomorrow." Her parents nodded, and Sophie went upstairs, her bodyguards silently in tow. She took the second flight more slowly, still in awe of the way elves decorated everything, even after nearly three years in their world. My world. She was one of them. Sophie kept her promise to Grady and Edaline and got into bed, but before she fell asleep, she decided to check on her human family.

Sophie slipped out of bed and padded across the floor to where she still kept the illicit Spyball. She Knew Alden suspected its existence, but as long as she wasn't actually caught using it, she could continue watching and supporting her family from afar. She whispered the names: "Connor, Kate, and Natalie Freeman." After reassuring herself of their well-being, she finally let herself fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Sophie? Biana and Fitz are downstairs, but we can send them home if you need more time."

"So's That Boy, and we should send him home anyway."

"Keefe is Sophie's friend, Grady."

"Still."

Sophie woke to Grady and Edaline attempting to wake her, but getting distracted by whether or not Keefe should retain access to their daughter. She smiled before the events of the previous day came rushing back. Groaning, she burrowed under her pillow and squeezed her eyes shut.

"So you are awake," Edaline said, smoothing what she could see of Sophie's hair. "If you need more time, just let me know, and they'll be gone before you come downstairs."

"Thanks, but they might not even bring it up. I can't avoid them forever, so I'd rather just get it over with now." Sophie sat up and Edaline and Grady stood up.

"We'll leave you to get dressed." Grady brushed off his tunic and went downstairs, pausing only to exchange a few words with Sandor and Bo. Edaline shortly followed, promising that she wouldn't let Grady try to scare Keefe away.

"I doubt he could, but thanks." Sophie stood in front of Vertina after donning a red tunic and grey leggings.

"You should really try to do more with your hair," Vertina said shortly. "Since I know you won't let me do anything fancy, at least put a few braids in or something?" Sophie complied with a laugh. "You look good in red," Vertina said when Sophie had finished twisting small sections of hair into braids not unlike Marella's. "Wear it more often."

Sophie nodded and stepped away so that Vertina faded. How was she supposed to tell her friends that she was Unmatchable? Tam wouldn't care, she knew, since he'd voluntarily left the Lost Cities for Exilium when Linh was banished, but for the others, Matchmaking was part of their lives. Anyone she was interested in would be a guaranteed bad match...but she couldn't let her mind go there. And anyway, Tam had also voluntarily left the Lost Cities again to join the Neverseen. He wasn't exactly a model of fabulous choices, even if he had good reasons. She smoothed her tunic again and headed downstairs, closely trailed by her bodyguards.

"Sophie!" Biana rushed her and threw her arms around her as soon as Sophie had entered the room. "You woke up!"

"It's good to see all of you," Sophie said honestly, looking over Biana's shoulder to note that Biana, Fitz, and Keefe had been joined by Dex and Wylie. "I was hoping you guys would come over."

"Okay, Biana, you've hug-hogged Foster long enough." Sophie rolled her eyes as she accepted Keefe's hug.

"Anyone else? Or are we good?" She scanned her friends' faces until she caught Fitz's eye. He half-smiled, half-grimaced and nodded his hello. Sophie's smile faded. Alden wouldn't have told him about the matchmakers yet, right? Of course not. Alden was usually great about keeping Sophie's secrets from his son. Usually. Biana, on the other hand...well, if Biana had overheard anything she wasn't supposed to, she did a much better job of hiding it than Fitz did.

Dex's dimple flashed. "I think we're good. Are we going to do any more processing about the facts that we're still down a Shade, or that we have no idea what the Neverseen are planning, or that it turns out that Alvar is still evil?"

Nobody missed how Fitz's mouth tightened when Alvar was mentioned.

Sophie cleared her throat, but Wylie cut in.

"Has anyone heard from Linh? Or know whether Tam has tried to make contact?" Sophie could've kicked herself. Why hasn't anyone talked to Linh? After the round of revelations following Tam's departure, Linh had left quietly--and nobody had heard from her since. Sophie knew the pretty Hydrokinetic was doing her best to hide in order to make the Neverseen's plan to use her to make Tam cooperate as difficult as possible, but Sophie should've checked in by now.

"I haven't heard from or checked in with Linh yet, but that doesn't mean she isn't perfectly fine," Sophie said. 

"Have you reached out to Tam yet?" Biana asked with a frown. Sophie bit her lip. There was so much she'd meant to do last night.

"No, I haven't had time."

"That's ridiculous," Fitz told her. "Matchmaking appointments last two hours, tops." Sophie had avoided looking at him since his less-than-warm greeting when she came downstairs, but there was no point in trying to avoid it now. She met his eyes, wracking her brain for an excuse that didn't sound like an excuse.

"Mine took longer," Sophie said finally. She looked away.

"So are we going to discuss the emotions rolling off Foster whenever she looks at the Fitzster or...? 'Cause they are intense." Keefe made a show of wafting the invisible emotions away from him with a grin.

"There's nothing to discuss, Keefe," Biana said, shooting him a look.

"Biana's right, Keefe. Leave her alone." Sophie smiled at Dex gratefully. He nodded back, though without even a trace of a dimple. "So nobody's talked to Linh?"

"I can try to get in touch with her once we've finished discussing...whatever we're discussing," Wylie volunteered. "I have a couple of other questions I want to ask her as well."

"I bet," Biana mumbled, and Wylie looked rather pinker than normal.

"I don't know about everyone else, but I want to hear how the Matchmakers went for Foster yesterday. Has nobody else noticed that she freaks out whenever somebody mentions it? Even more than when she looks at Fitz." Sophie scowled. She was going to kill Keefe...if Biana didn't beat her to it. Biana was looking exasperated and maybe even a little sorry. That was it. Biana already knew. And Fitz probably did too. Why shouldn't everyone?

"Sophie? How did Matchmaking go? It shouldn't have been more than asking a couple of questions and getting your packet." Fitz looked at her expectantly.

"Um..." Sophie tugged on an eyelash, wishing she could be anywhere but here. "It didn't. Exactly."


	3. Chapter 3

The room went silent.

When Dex was the first to speak, his dimple was nowhere in sight. "How can a Matchmaking appointment not go?"

Sophie took a deep breath. This was it. "Well, apparently, I'm Unmatchable." The effect on the people in the room was immediate and made her wish she hadn't told them so bluntly. Wylie blinked repeatedly and frowned. Dex rolled his eyes and sat down hard. Biana appeared lost in thought, confirming Sophie's suspicions: the Vanisher had already figured it out. Keefe grinned at first, convinced she was joking, but his smile faded when she jerkily nodded in response to his questioning look. Fitz began mumbling to himself. Abruptly, he turned to Sophie.

"Unmatchable?" She gave a short nod. "So whatever match you make will automatically be a bad match?" Sophie nodded again. "There must be a reason why."

"Well, you know how the Back Swan won't tell me who my birth parents are?"

Nods. Dawning comprehension. Fitz looked more sad than angry.

"Well, that's why I'm now quote-unquote Unmatchable."

"Did you tell them that?" Wylie looked thoughtful. The others looked as though they thought he had a point, especially Biana and Fitz. Trust the people who had been raised to prominence by the system to defend it.

"Of course I did! I wouldn't try to register for the Match just for the sake of it!" Sophie realized that she'd been yelling when they all stared at her. "I just need some time right now, you guys. Can we talk tomorrow?"

"Of course." Biana said, tugging Fitz and Keefe towards the door. "Take all the time you need. But Sophie? Remember that we are your friends."

"Yeah." Dex nodded with an almost-smile. "Let me know if Iggy needs a makeover."

Wylie said his goodbye as well, and promised to let Sophie know how his check in with Linh went.

Sophie flopped into a chair, tugging at eyelashes that weren't even a little bit loose. That hadn't gone well...but it could've been a lot worse. For now, she would have to make do with keeping one of her promises to her friends. It was time to to get in touch with Tam...or at least to try. It had been ridiculously difficult to plan around the Neverseen's schedule to talk to Keefe, even if it had ultimately worth it. She made her way back up to her room, ignoring the questioning and sympathetic looks from her bodyguards. She really could not deal with those right now.

Tam? Where are you? Talk to me? Tam! Sophie broadcast her thoughts as far and wide as she could. Just when she was sure that he was too far away, she heard an answer.

I'm here, but this isn't exactly a great time for me. Sophie deflated. After finally making contact with Tam, the only news she would have for her friends was that Tam was alive.

At least tell me that you're okay, Sophie shot back, not caring how it sounded. 

I'm fine. The Neverseen know a lot more about us than they used to, though, so be warned.

How? His silence forced Sophie to draw her own conclusions. Oh. Gethen.

Yeah. I hid some stuff with my shadows--it turns out I can do that--but if I hadn't learned anything since we last encountered them, it would've been really suspicious. Sophie cringed and tugged at an eyelash. She knew he was right, but it was still a blow.

What did they get?

Mr. Forkle was Sir Astin--and as far as I know, he's dead. They know about Tiergan and Juline on the Collective. And they know that you're an Enhancer. I'm sorry. I'm pretty sure I managed to hide everything else, though. 

"Everything else"? Tam's tone shifted.

Who cares about who, how little we've actually learned from Prentice, stuff like that. Sophie nodded before she remembered that Tam couldn't actually see her.

'Who cares about who' keeps shifting, but you knew that already. Anyway, I can tell you some of the other stuff that's gone down, but if you think you'll have a hard time hiding it, we'll catch you up some other time. They were both silent for a moment, remembering that even if Tam could come back, it would probably be a long time.

Don't worry, Gethen's confident that he got everything he could out of me the first time, Tam told her smugly. I want to know how Linh is.

Wylie's going to check in with her later today. She's trying to distance herself from us so the Neverseen can't use her to force you to...something. She's avoiding us. Tam sounded annoyed when he finally replied.

That's ridiculous. I'd much rather she move in with one of you.

But all the extra security Tiergan set up...

I don't care! It's nowhere near as much as you have, and I want to know that she's safe. He paused, wrestling with his next words. Please.

I'll do what I can. Something in Sophie's mental voice must have caught Tam's attention.

Is everyone doing okay? Has something happened? Sophie smiled faintly, though she knew he couldn't see it. Hugging Ella tightly, she repeated what she'd told the others earlier. When she finished, Tam was quiet for a long time. She tugged out one eyelash, then another.

That's not a surprise, is it? He said finally. I mean, the point of the Match is to make sure you aren't with anyone you're related to. If they don't know who your parents are...

I hadn't thought of it like that, Sophie admitted.

Right, because you find not fitting in so scary. Sophie could hear the dark humor in Tam's voice. I bet Fitz absolutely loved that. Sophie frowned. Tam took far too much pleasure in being Fitz's opposite in any way he could.

He wasn't thrilled. 'Im pretty sure he and Biana already knew, actually.

Got it. I should go, the Neverseen are waking up.

But we've barely started talking. Tam? 

Sophie groaned. When Tam said he was going, he meant it.


	4. Chapter 4

"I can't believe him!" Sophie groaned aloud, flopping on her bed, and before you could say "mallowmelt", she was completely surrounded by her bodyguards, parents, and for no apparent reason, Mr. Forkle.

She opened her mouth to ask why he was here and now, but one of the throng gathered around her beat her to the punch.

"Who can't you believe? Keefe?" The question was threatening enough to have come from Grady or Sandor, but to Sophie's surprise, it was Edaline, holding Iggy, who awaited an answer.

"No, the other member of our team who joined the Neverseen." Their expressions cleared and Sandor even let out what might've been considered a sigh of relief. "Oh, so it's acceptable for Tam to join the Neverseen, but not Keefe?"

Mr. Forkle gestured for her bodyguards to leave, and to Sophie's surprise, they listened, though from the look on Sandor let her know that they'd have words later. So she had that to look forward to. She redirected her attention to Mr. Forkle as the latter cleared his throat.

"No, but we'd prefer to keep...hearts...out of this, and Mr. Sencen's primary motivation for joining the Neverseen was...shall we say, he had a different motivation for joining the Neverseen than Mr. Tam." Mr Forkle looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Sophie might have found it funny if her blood wasn't boiling. She stood up and began pacing the room. She stopped in front of Mr. Forkle.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Mr. Tam was forced to join the Neverseen in order to protect his sister. Mr. Sencen both chose to join and seems to have been acting out of a misplaced desire to both impress and protect you, though how he intended to accomplish either of those goals is beyond my comprehension." Sophie couldn't believe what she was hearing. Okay, so Keefe had acted as though he might like like her more and more obviously since they'd met, but that was ridiculous. Boys like that didn't like girls like her--except for Fitz, who might not anymore, anyway. She cast around for a change of topic before Grady stepped in.

"Mr. Forkle didn't come by to remind you of That Boy's questionable choices, though it's probably good for you to have--hey!" Edaline blinked innocently, and Sophie mouthed a quick thank you to her before redirecting her attention to Mr. Forkle.

"So why are you here? Wait, do you have an update on Wynn and Luna?"

"They're both doing well; we've had to move them again, however." Sophie felt her heart soar and crash as she fumbled for a reason that the Black Swan might've had to move the twins.

"Have the Neverseen learned where they are?" Had Tam hidden that? She didn't think he'd mentioned it. Oh, mallowmelt.

"No, but they've grown sufficiently that their original enclosure wasn't ideal." Sophie breathed a huge sigh of relief. "We're planning to release them in a few weeks to stay with Silveny and Greyfell, but the Council is being...difficult." Sophie narrowed her eyes.

"Difficult how?" She was tempted to storm straight to the Councillors' glittering castles herself, but that would probably create more problems than it solved. And it was much more Tam's style than hers. He was just so aggravating, compared to Linh, who could take things before fighting it later.

"--and they've decided that they'd like to keep the twins around as a symbol of hope."

"Tam and Linh? Tam's left."

"No, Wynn and Luna." Mr. Forkle frowned at Sophie, but Edaline intervened.

"Sophie's pretty tired; it's been a long couple of days. She can't handle problems of this level on no sleep and an unholy amount of teenage stress and one of her friends walking out on her right now."

"Mr. Tam left weeks ago."

"Thanks, Mom, but I have to be able to handle anything, at any time. That's just how things have to be right now." Sophie hated that she held herself responsible for half of the elvin world at any given time, but it wasn't a pesky fly she could shake by some swatting. Edaline's eyes softened when she looked at her adopted daughter, but hardened again when she looked back at Mr. Forkle.

"Maybe, but they shouldn't. And this can wait. We asked Mr. Forkle here to give you an update on Wynn and Luna--not to saddle you with another responsibility."

"I wasn't aware that Miss Foster had anything else ongoing." Mr. Forkle attempted a smile, but his eyes matched his tone: worried.

"That's just it," Edaline said, waving Grady off as he tried to cut in. "You weren't aware. You didn't even ask how she's been before slamming her over her friendships with at least two of her friends and giving her another fight that you want her to pick with the Councillors. Please, just go." The outburst seemed to have worn Edaline down, as she sank to sit on the edge of Sophie's bed. Mr. Forkle looked from Grady to Sophie to Sandor, who'd obviously been keeping an ear on things from the doorway. "Now, if you don't mind."

Mr. Forkle nodded and left. Sophie tentatively sat down next to her adopted mother, casting a glance at Grady to silently ask him to leave. After a quick, worried glance at his wife, he complied.

"Mom?" The word still felt unfamiliar in Sophie's mouth, and even though it was the second time she'd used the endearment in a single conversation, she forged ahead. "What's going on?"


	5. Chapter 5

"He shut down after you mentioned Fitz? That doesn't really sound like Tam to me. I think he'd be more likely to shut down if you mentioned Dex was flirting with Biana." Linh tilted her head towards Biana. "What do you think, Biana?" Biana stared at her friend.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"He likes brunettes. You're one of the only brunettes in our group, and since I'm fairly sure, as his sister, that he doesn't have a crush on Fitz..." Linh smiled mischievously as Biana sputtered.

"Guys!" Sophie tried to keep her tone lighthearted, but her exasperation at both Tam for freezing her out and her friends for missing the point kept sneaking up on her. "Teasing Biana about Tam who may or may not be interested in her is not going to solve the problem of he's avoiding me so now we have no way of knowing if something goes wrong."

"It sounds like Tam's going to do what Tam wants to do," Linh shrugged delicately.

"Yeah, Bangs Boy isn't exactly one to listen to anyone," a familiar voice said from the doorway. The three girls turned to see Keefe leaning on the doorframe and smirking.

"He hates it when you call him that," Sophie said in renewed exasperation, blushing as her mind darted to what Mr. Forkle had said about Keefe's "motivations" the last time they'd met. Right before Edaline had flipped out at the leader of the Black Swan and sent him packing.

Sophie had been confused at Edaline's behavior, but it seemed to have stemmed from the fact that while Jolie had gotten hundreds of chances at a good match that she didn't want, Sophie wasn't going to get even one chance--that she did want. And since Mr. Forkle knew who Sophie's parents were and wasn't telling...that made the matchmaking disaster his fault , at least according to Edaline. And the fact that he seemed perfectly okay with that was not okay with the Conjurer. Sophie snapped back to the present and Keefe's smirk.

"Looks like the Mysterious Miss F is standing up for Bangs Boy--I am so never going to stop calling him that--and blushing?" The smirk on Keefe's face looked a lot more forced than it had a few minutes ago. "That's a plot twist."

"I wasn't...I don't..." Sophie knew it was pointless. She turned back to Linh and Biana in an attempt to change the subject. "What were we talking about again?"

"How much of a crush Tam has on Biana."

"No, we were talking about how to stay in touch with Tam now that he's avoiding Sophie," Biana came to her best friend's rescue.

"Aaaand that's my cue to leave," announced Keefe. "You can figure out all the communication issues just fine without the Keefester--and I gotta say, her life is more entertaining every time we meet up!"

"Ignore him," said Biana firmly, guiding Sophie's eyes away from the door. "It doesn't matter right now." Linh, who'd been observing quietly, seemed to shake her preoccupation.

"Maybe I could try to talk to him?"

"How?" Sophie frowned and went for her eyelashes again.

"I could give you a code word--we've set up a few--and then Tam and I could communicate through you."

"That's probably our best option at this point," agreed Biana.

Sophie felt inexplicably annoyed. "Fine, let's try that. On another note, school starts again in just a couple of weeks--how likely do you think it is that they're even going to let me go back?"

"You want my honest opinion, or what I think you want to hear?"

"Honestly, Biana."

"Probably not, especially if all of your bodyguards want to go too. If you could just restrict it to one or two, maybe?"

"She's got a point," Linh agreed. "If you just take Sandor and maybe Nubiti or Bo..."

"If I take Bo, he and Ro will argue whenever I see Keefe, and if I don't, he'll try to come along anyway." Sophie felt almost as tired as she'd been after finally talking Edaline out of forbidding Mr. Forkle the house until he told the Matchmakers who Sophie's biological parents were.

"Maybe he will, maybe he won't, but let's assume that you're going to go back to Foxfire when the new term starts." Biana ended the conversation with a firm nod. "Let's try to get in touch with Tam now, just to see if that'll work."

Linh moved across the room to sit next to Sophie before telling her "Try 'waves' first, and if he doesn't respond, say 'Everglen'." Biana raised her eyebrows.

"Do we get to know what those codes mean, or...?" Linh shook her head. Sophie started feeling around for Tam's mind.

Tam? Please answer. It's about waves. Tam? He didn't take as long to answer as he had before.

What happened to Linh? Even his consciousness felt shadier than usual, and he sounded worried.

I'm here, Tam, but you can't just disappear on us like that, Linh transmitted via Sophie.

We agreed that you and I weren't going to use the codes unless it was an emergency.

You were ignoring Sophie, and she's the only one who can get in touch with you. That qualifies as an emergency. You can't do that right now. Tam was silent for a long minute.

I'll do what I have to.

But will you listen when we need to get in touch? Sophie clutched Linh's hand before she realized what she was doing. Tam hesitated for a beat before he replied.

I'll do my best. But not if it's going to put Linh or any of you in any danger.

Agreed. Sophie severed their connection to find Linh smiling at her with raised eyebrows. "What?"

"Nothing especially," Linh said airily. "But I'm definitely looking forward to having him back soon. And it looks like I might've been wrong about Biana."

"Soon?" If Sophie only looked half as confused as she was, she would've looked extremely confused. That Biana, who hadn't known Tam as long as Sophie, seemed to be in perfect agreement with his twin sister confused her even more.

"If I know my brother, he'll find a way back to you before long."

"It will be nice to have Tam back," Sophie agreed with a smile.


	6. Chapter 6

I can't believe Lady Gisela told you what the Great Gulon incident was!

Keefe is right to be proud; it's pretty impressive. Tam being impressed was hard to imagine, so Sophie would have to take him at his word.

Good to know. I've got to head over to Everglen so we can discuss the note Keefe got at the Shores of Solace a few days ago about 'beginning phase two of the Lodestar Initiative'. You wouldn't know anything about that...would you?

I do, but they'd know I told you. Sophie sighed.

Right. Talk to you soon. She pushed up off her bed and headed out the door. With any luck, she'd be able to talk to Fitz, who'd been studiously avoiding her, before anyone else got there.

When she arrived at the gates, she was surprised to find him waiting for her.

"We need to talk."

"Why do you think I came over early?" Fitz laughed at the rhetorical question, but his teal eyes didn't have their usual sparkle.

"I might've known that you'd have a plan. It's not that I don't like you..."

"I know. But we'd be a bad match."

"Not just because you're unMatchable."

"But we'd be fighting too much, and there are too many power imbalances..."

"And we're better off as friends." Sophie's heart twisted a little at how well they finished each other's sentences, but his smile of relief didn't break her heart quite the way she thought it would.

"Definitely."

"Are you guys okay?" Dex's dimple was nowhere in sight as he arrived to see them both standing at the gate.He was testament that she could stay friends with someone who'd liked her, right? Of course, she hadn't liked him back, but still. "Sophie looks like she's about to cry."

Mallowmelt. Maybe she didn't look as relieved as she felt. Sophie shook her head vehemently. "No tears here. Is anyone else here, Fitz?"

Fitz started to shake his head as Keefe arrived.

"Party's here. Or, should I say, 'focus of a grim meeting about an exasperating parental figure we all wish I wasn't related to' is here? And why are Sophie's emotions wigging out?" Sophie groaned inwardly. Of all the times for her to have a reason to come "early", everyone else had to be on time, too?

"Don't knock yourself, Keefe," Biana said, appearing and causing Sophie to wonder just how long the Vanisher had been standing there. "And when Sophie wants to tell us what's up, she will." Sophie knew the Vanisher would find out eventually, but it was getting frustrating that the Vanisher seemed to know everything that happened practically when it did.

"Let's go inside to wait for everyone else," Fitz said. "We're only waiting for maybe Wylie, since Linh isn't coming...right?"

"I think you forgot about me," Marella said with a toss of her hair, striding through Everglen's gate to join them. "And Linh said she needed to finish packing before she came by."

"In an ideal world, that'd mean we didn't see her, but..." Sophie shook her head. "Let's go inside."

Once they were all gathered in the main room at Everglen, plates of mallowmelt in hand, Keefe called everyone's attention.

"So I'm the one who called the emergency meeting, right? And I know that school starts up again soon so we're losing Fitzy and I and you lot are getting more time with Wylie...but my mom is sending notes again."

"Can the rest of us see it, please?" Biana jumped up and snatched the note from Keefe's outstretched hand and read it aloud. "Thanks to your friend's talents, the Lodestar Initiative is moving into Phase Two. Don't freak out, stay away from Fintan, and remember how much I love you."

"It rhymes," Dex pointed out through a mouthful of mallowmelt.

"A point for her, I guess, but what are we supposed to do with this information?" Keefe grabbed fistfuls of his hair and looked ready to tear it out if someone didn't give him a solution he could implement immediately.

"Well...Sophie hedged as everyone turned to look at her. "We'll think of something. We still don't know what the Lodestar Initiative, or as Lady Gisela usually calls it, 'Keefe's legacy' is, but we'll figure it out."

"Right." Fitz stood up. "If we don't actually know anything, today's already been a pretty long and hard day for me, so I think I'll let you guys figure it out. Especially since we're pretty sure it doesn't have anything to do with my brot--with Alvar." He smiled at everyone in the circle, though he didn't meet Sophie's eyes. After he left with his mallowmelt, there was a long moment before anyone tried to break that silence.

"What's up with him?" Marella asked, poking at the delectability on her plate. Sophie'd forgotten that not everyone was privy to her conversation with Fitz, though she couldn't understand how Marella hadn't finished her mallowmelt, since Sophie was already wondering if it would be rude to ask for another piece. She was grateful for the fact that not everyone knew every last detail of her conversation with Fitz until Keefe took it upon himself to spill the beans.

'If I had to guess--which I don't, because Empath--I'd say Fitzphie is a now no-go." Marella frowned. 

"Why?" 

"Because I'm Unmatchable." Marella frowned. The word was feeling more and more familiar in Sophie's mouth, but that didn't mean she liked the taste. So far it only meant letting Fitz go and people needing to know why she hadn't old them sooner.

"And that is completely okay," Biana jumped in, brining her a third slice of mallowmelt. "We still love you."

"Friends forever, yeah?" Sophie smiled at Dex and nodded. No matter what scary initiatives the Neverseen were cooking up, or how disappointing the results of her Match failure had been, she would always have her friends.

"Sorry I'm late, you guys," Linh said with a pink-cheeked smile from the doorway that made Wylie drop the second slice of mallowmelt he'd been passed. "What have I missed?"


	7. Chapter 7

"This was a lot easier when we had a freshly-captured member of the Neverseen to interrogate whenever we felt like it." Sophie was pacing her room, while Dex and Biana sat on the floor and on Sophie's bed, respectively. She turned to see them looking at each other as if to say you talk to her. "What?"

"How much longer are we going to be...talking?"

"What do you mean?" Dex picked up the thread Biana had left off.

"We--the rest of us, I mean--get to go and pick up our Match scrolls today. Since we don't know anything new...and school starts tomorrow...." Sophie felt like she'd been slapped. Gently, but still.

"Okay. Go get your matches."

"We'd love for you to come with us, but you don't like dressing up,much, and you're not going to get a list..." Biana looked as though she wished Dex had done the talking, and his face mirrored hers.

"No, let's do this." Sophie forced herself to smile. "You can give me a makeover if you want." Biana clapped her hands and Dex stood up.

"I guess that's my cue to leave."

"See you at Everglen in a couple of hours?" Biana smiled, but her eyes were distant, already planning she and Sophie's outfits.

"Of course." Dex's dimple flashed, and he headed downstairs. Biana stood in front of Sophie's wardrobe with her hands on her hips.

"You probably shouldn't wear any teal, and even though you look great in red, it's been done." Sophie squelched a smile. "This is pretty." Biana held out a long silvery dress.

Sophie shook her head. "Edaline picked that out."

"But it'll look gorgeous. And you did say that I got dress you up." Biana smiled angelically, and Sophie went to her bathroom to change. The dress was beautiful and felt wonderfully light and airy. "Hurry out so I can do your hair!" Biana called. "I still have to get ready and make Fitz get ready."

"Okay, okay," Sophie returned to let Biana work her magic. "What are you doing to my hair?"

"Just a braid," Biana said. "Nothing fancy." Once Biana had finished, Sophie decided against complaining that 'just a braid' had taken the better part of half an hour. "I am going to Everglen, and you will be there in an hour and a half." Sophie nodded and smiled. 

"See you later."

She arrived before Dex but after Linh, Marella, and Keefe. They both looked like slightly more glamorous versions of themselves, Keefe in more mature clothes than usual, and Linh in a flowing midnight-blue gown. Marella and Biana looked similarly gorgeous, the former in a burgundy, off-the-shoulder number with silver accents and the latter in a dusty-rose dress that complemented her blush and made her teal eyes pop.

"Wow, Foster, no red dress?" Linh elbowed him.

"Sophie looks great," Linh said. "You can keep your thoughts about what you think she ought to look like to yourself." Biana nodded.

"She looks great," interjected Dex, arriving. "Are we ready to go yet?" Biana and Sophie shook their heads in sync.

"Fitz is taking all day."

"I'm here now," he said, joining them. He didn't meet Sophie's eyes. "Let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

The Matchmakers' building was suspiciously quiet when Sophie and her friends, less Wylie, arrived in the normally bustling building. It was almost as if their bodyguards might have cleared the building of anyone they found suspicious before the group arrived--and between Sandor, Bo, Ro, and Grizel--the list was always longer than Sophie would've liked. 

"If it isn't Foxfire's resident freak," a familiar voice sneered from a chair in the nearest corner of the room. Of course, Stina wasn't suspicious, but it would've been nice if she could've gotten cleared out anyway.

"Don't let her get to you," Dex whispered, hugging her.

"See you in a minute!" Biana squeezed Sophie's hand before falling in with Dex as the group, sans Sophie, went into back rooms to pick up their scrolls

"Thanks, Stina, it's nice to see you too," Sophie answered the taller girl, dropping into one of the many rows of chairs

"Aren't you getting one of yours too?" Stina asked. Sophie

"Sophie doesn't need the Matchmakers' approval for how she lives her life," a familiar voice said as Sophie spun around.

"Freak," Stina muttered.

Tam was casually leaning in the doorway, smirking as though he'd never left. 

"And you clearly don't need anyone's," Sophie muttered. Tam's grin widened. "Why are you here? How are you here?" He ignored her question, growing serious.

"I don't have a lot of time, but I'm glad I caught you here. You guys need to hide Juline."

"Juline?"

"Why are you guys talking about Dizznee's mom?"

"Why is Stina here? Where's Linh?"

"Stina, give us a minute." Sophie dragged Tam and Sandor into a corner, and the rest of her bodyguards formed a circle around them. "Tam, what is going on?"

"Get her to safety. Linh's moved in with you, right?"

"No, not yet. Tam, you asked, like, a day ago!" He tugged on his bangs and Sophie remembered a more important question. She took his hand and he clung to it like a lifeline. ("Why are you here?'

"You need to move her into Havenfield or Everglen," he began urgently, but her friends pour back into the room. Sophie knew what it must've looked like, but she didn't bother to move before Biana and Linh, followed by their other friends, made their way over.

"Tam?" Tears glittered in Linh's eyes and Tam dropped Sophie's hands to pull her into a bear hug. If she didn't know better, Sophie might've thought that Tam teared up too, but Biana grabbed her arm before she could be sure. 

"Bangs Boy!" Keefe bounded up with a grin, and Tam rolled his eyes. Fitz and Marella trailed behind the rest of their friends, talking intently. 

"We don't have a lot of time," Tam said, removing his arms from around Linh so he could hug Dex and Biana. "I don't know when they plan to move. You need to get Juline to safety." Dex nodded and pulled out his pathfinder stepping away to place the call. How quickly he sprung into action, no questions asked, made Sophie realize how much they'd all grown up, and her heart pinched, just for a moment.

"Are you back for good?" Sophie asked. Tam looked at her and nodded, briefly.

"I wasn't going to be, but I've already been gone too long. If I'd just burst into Everglen and yelled at you guys to hide Juline, it might've worked for me to go back, but...I need to be back. I can stay wherever Linh's staying."

"It's good to have you back," Sophie said with a smile. Linh nudged Biana and they both snickered. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Biana said. "So, first order of business is to save Juline. Second order of business, move Tam and Linh into Havenfield. Third, read our Matchmaking scrolls. Unless you want to get yours, Tam?" He shook his head.

"I never registered, remember? The system is inherently flawed, anyway."

"Of course it is," Linh said with a laugh that, if it had been anyone beside Linh, Sophie might've described as a cackle.

"Care to fill us in?" Marella and Fitz had joined the group. 

"The world is ending, thanks to my mom, but isn't it always?" Keefe said.

"Oh, Keefe." Fitz frowned.

"Don't 'oh, Keefe' me. I didn't ask for pity." Sophie thought she might scream.

Dex shook his head. "Maybe I can explain on the way to Rimeshire," he said. "Dad doesn't want to leave the store, but Mom thinks that Forkle will want to hide our whole family, so who knows? I need to help pack up and watch the triplets, so..." Tam looked almost apologetic. "You guys can come and help, or you can move the twins' things to Havenfield or Everglen."

"Havenfield" Biana and Linh said simultaneously. 

"Keefe, Marella, and Fitz can help your family get packed up," Biana told Dex. "And Sophie and I can help the twins. Maybe we can reconvene at Everglen in a few hours?"

Everyone nodded and glittered their separate ways.


	9. Chapter 9

"Isn't it great that Tam's back, Sophie?" Biana asked the question casually. Tam and Linh had left to gather their things from Tiergan's, and Sophie and Biana were making up a guest room on the floor below Sophie's at Havenfield. Sophie opened the curtains with a snap.

"It's definitely a relief, I think we're all glad he's back." Sophie smiled back at her friend.

"Mmhmm." Biana raised her eyebrows at her friend, and Sophie could tell that her face was going red.

"Tam is my _friend_ , Biana."

"He's all of our friend. But I think that your dynamic has changed since Tam left, and I am never, ever, wrong about this kind of thing." Biana pointed at Sophie with a pillow. "I think you _like_ like him, and I think he likes you back."

"What?" Sophie tugged at her eyelashes, and three came off. "No! I mean, I might like Tam, but that doesn't even matter! I mean, I'm Unmatchable, so we would automatically be a bad match, and I'm blonde, so...it's just not going to happen." Biana rolled her eyes.

"First of all, Tam didn't even register for the Match, so if you're a bad match, that's just as much on Tam as it is on you."

"Also, it's Tam, so he'll probably welcome the chance to anger our parents as much as possible," Linh said, dropping a bag and her Match scroll on the floor. At Sophie's terrified expression, she added, "Tam's downstairs with the rest of our things, having a faceoff with Sandor. But seriously, Sophie, Tam can't stop talking about you. It's kind of adorable."

"Okay," Sophie said, rubbing her forehead. "I'll keep that in mind. But right now, I'm going to talk to Edaline about you guys staying here. And possibly prevent Sandor from killing Tam."

"See, I told you she cared about him," Biana told Linh.

"You guys have been talking about me? About Tam and I?" Sophie could feel herself going pink again, and she fought it off. "You know what? Whatever. Not important!"

"You should see the way he looks at you!" Biana's voice floated down the stairs to where Sophie was waving her hand between Tam and Sandor's staring contest. Sandor broke first, to glare at Sophie.

" _Who_ looks at you _how_?" Sophie shook her head.

"Not important right now. Have you seen Eda--Mom anywhere?"

"I'm right here, Sophie," Edaline was smiling gently from the doorway to the next room. "And I think we need to talk."

"Sure, what about?"

"Of course, Tam and Linh can stay here with us as long as they need, but I need to understand some things first," Edaline said. Sophie gritted her teeth.

She was happy Tam and Linh had somewhere safe to stay. She was. And she was glad that she'd get to see Tam-- _both_ of them more. But she was past frustrated with Biana and Linh and their insistence that Linh's twin had reasons for returning beside warning them that the Neverseen were going after Juline and wanting to see Linh. While Sophie was might be willing to admit to herself that she might be _kind of_ interested in Tam, she wasn't ready for Linh and Biana to be so pleased with themselves for "figuring it out". She was _also_ more concerned with their _multitude of other problems, most of which were life or death_ , than the fact that there was almost no way Tam liked her back. 

"Tam and I are only friends." Sophie tried to ignore whether or not there was a little pinch in her heart at that. "They're going to sleep in a guest room, and whenever we are together, Sandor and Bo and everyone else will be breathing down my neck about having to protect extra people."

"I'll take you at your word that there's nothing going on with you and Tam right now, but if there's even a whiff of anything, you know that Grady will probably welcome the chance to make him the new Keefe."

"What's this I hear about a new Keefe? 'Cause there is _no one_ who can out-Keefe the Keefester." Keefe popped his head into the room, and Sophie could see Fitz and Marella behind him. Sophie sighed, but she was smiling. 

"I'll keep that in mind, Mom, but I think we need to finish talking about everything that is definitely not happening a little later." When Sophie reached the entrance hall, all of her friends, including Tam, were crowded in and holding their Match scrolls except for Tam, who didn't have a match scroll, and Dex, who wasn't there at all. "Where's Dex?"

"He'll be here soon," Fitz volunteered. "He just needs to finish settling his stuff at...the place the Diznees are staying for now."

"Excellent," Biana said. "We should wait for him, but maybe we can snack of ripplefluffs or something while we eat?" Edaline conjured up plates of the sweet treats and smiled.

"Here you all are. I'm sure that you'll let me know if you need anything, but for now, try to have fun and do your best not to kill one another. Match scrolls can result in a pretty volatile time, so...think first. If you can." Her eyes met Sophie's, and Sophie knew that Edaline was thinking about when Jolie had gone through scroll after scroll, looking for Brant's name. Edaline mustered a smile. "I'll leave you to it."

"We can all go sit down under the Panakes, maybe? It's beautiful out there," Linh said. Wylie mumbled something under his breath. 

"Smooth, dude," Keefe said. Sophie fixed him with a puzzled look. "He said 'so are you'." Linh blushed a rosy shade of pink and hid her face in Tam's shoulder. "What? If Linh and Wylie aren't on each other's Match scrolls, the whole system is flawed."

"Which, you know, it might be anyway," Dex pointed out, arriving. "So where are we going to open the Match scrolls?"

Biana pointed. "Linh thought it might be nice to look at them under the Panakes." Dex nodded.

"By all means, lead the way."


End file.
